nayavill – Page 14 – Gillings Around the globe

Leveraging monitoring and evaluation for strong water, sanitation and hygiene programs in India

Posted on June 29, 2021 by nayavill

At the shoreline of a beach. — Taking some time to visit the coast

Happy Summer! My name is Katie Hammer a current MPH candidate at the Gillings School of Public Health, concentrating in Environmental Health Solutions. Before beginning my studies at UNC, I worked for three years at Abt Associates as a member of several health system strengthening project teams. I discovered the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector while working as a Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst on a $150 million USAID- funded private health sector project. Through our work, I began to see how poor WASH infrastructure and systems impacted all areas of public health, from maternal and child health outcomes to the spread of infectious diseases like malaria and cholera. I quickly realized this was the area I wanted to specialize in moving forward. It’s actually part of the reason I chose to study at UNC – I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to learn from and partake in The Water Institute’s great work!

Working as a Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst also taught me the value of data. I managed the project’s monitoring platform, Newdea, for 11 field countries and 3 core teams, ensuring the project had a high-quality data monitoring system. I empowered country teams to look across their past data to find trends and patterns through effective data management. I fell in love with working with teams to facilitate data-driven implementation and impact.

As part of my practicum, I will have the opportunity to build on those experiences. I’ll have the privilege to partner with Gram Vikas, an Indian NGO, Gram who has been operating in the Odisha district in Eastern India for the past 50 years. They partner with rural communities to enable them to lead a dignified life by building their capabilities, strengthening community institutions and mobilizing resources. Gram Vikas has been working to understand the piped water supply and sanitation infrastructure as well as the institutional systems for community ownership and management of the systems since 1997. Their hard work has culminated in massive amounts of data, over 40,000 households worth.

I will collaborate with Gram Vikas and The Water Institute at UNC to evaluate their piped water and sanitation interventions for sustainability and impact. We will also look into how other variables are impacting these sanitation systems. We will be using local rainfall data, Indian Census data, and Odisha’s State of Environment data to get a broader picture of Gram Vikas’ impact.

Two computers full of data looking out into the Carolina sky. — Office with a view

I am excited to learn how to use new analysis processes to get more in-depth insights into programmatic impact. I am particularly interested in learning more about the use of geospatial analysis when manipulating large datasets. I hope that through these analyses, we will be able to provide Gram Vikas valuable insights that will inform their work for years to come! I am deeply grateful to both Gram Vikas and The Water Institute at UNC for this opportunity. This practicum wouldn’t be possible without The Water Institute at UNC, as the expertise this institute provides was key in making the connection for this practicum.

Katie

Gaining Experience and Prioritizing Self-Care

Posted on June 28, 2021 by nayavill

For my summer practicum, I am working with the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NCCASA) to create and present a toolkit on how to detect and prevent human trafficking on college and university campuses.

I have always been interested in the anti-sexual violence movement, starting at UNC Asheville where I went to undergrad. I was able to work with the Center for Diversity Education in creating a presentation on the importance of bodily autonomy on college campuses. This experience catapulted my passion for sexual and reproductive health justice which is what I’m most interested in focusing on professionally at Gillings and after graduating. However, I have never worked in the anti-human trafficking field, so I was nervous that the onboarding experience would be way too overwhelming to turn into a toolkit in such a short amount of time. During my first two weeks, I spent most of my days conducting literature reviews, watching recordings of presentations, and meeting with my preceptor to talk through the several pages of resources. While it was (and still is sometimes) overwhelming familiarizing myself with the history and language, I enjoyed talking through this new material with my preceptor. The anti-human trafficking movement is a very politicized movement and there are disagreements on how to address human trafficking between different types of organizations. For example, sometimes right-wing anti-human trafficking organizations focus on criminalizing sex work, while public health based anti-human trafficking organizations (like NCCASA) understand that victim blaming is harmful and rather focus on outer-layer solutions and prevention models that are more helpful for survivors and community members.

As you can imagine, the topic is emotionally difficult to read about, so self-care is discussed quite frequently at NCCASA. It is really refreshing to experience an organization that takes self-care and mindfulness seriously. I am looking forward to gaining experience working with an organization I admire so much and having these very difficult, and necessary, conversations.

I was also apprehensive of working from home this summer on a project that would benefit to work hands on with other people in NCCASA. I want to make sure that this toolkit acts as a useful resource for NCCASA and other stakeholders, and not just something to check off for a grade at the end of the summer. My preceptor has been so supportive and easy to talk to that I feel really lucky to be able to work with them as they continuously check in to make sure I am getting the most out of my practicum experience, which in turn is helping motivate me to do the work. They have also been really great at making sure I get to meet with important anti-human trafficking advocates who work at NCCASA. While I would love to work in person and directly with the community, I am really grateful to still be able to meet people who work in a field that I find extremely important. Hopefully I get to meet them in person next time!

River, my dog! — River keeping me company on my Zoom meetings.

While working from home has its challenges, I am able to spend time getting ready for my move to Chapel Hill in July (finally!), work outside, and enjoy new coffee shops with friends which has been fun now that I am fully vaccinated!

Sydney (in the MCFH concentration) and I working on our practicum deliverables.

I have also been able to take this as an opportunity to dog sit which is the best way to spend work breaks 🙂

River (smiling) and Duce (sleeping) on the garden bed… their new favorite spot.

Looking forward to continue truly connecting with this work and with the anti-human trafficking community.

Hadas

Practicing gratitude in times of uncertainty

Posted on June 23, 2021 by nayavill

A lookout from a mountain and looking into the forest. — Taking in some views.

As most others can relate, it is disappointing to have an online program after a year of online coursework. However, this last year I have become well-acquainted with practicing gratitude in times of disappointment or uncertainty. I have found many things to be grateful for. First, I am grateful to be learning from and working alongside with many committed individuals through the UNC Division of Global Women’s Health. This is one of the Zambia Hub internships that focuses on program management and administration. Additionally, the flexibility of a remote practicum has allowed me to visit family and friends that I otherwise would not be able to! The flexibility has made it possible to pursue other interests as well without feeling like I am neglecting the valuable internship experience.

There are two projects I will be working on this summer, one for cervical cancer in low-resource settings and the other to address adverse birth outcomes. My responsibility is to design a suite of communication materials to indicate on a larger level how UNC is contributing to the body of research and clinical practice in novel and innovative ways. This has consisted of an orientation period in which I reviewed program quarterly and annual reports, proposals, and the literature from the researchers and others. I have worked with my preceptor, the program manager, to interview the country leads to understand their need for communication materials as well as central themes and gaps in the research or practice. The website content I drafted will be up on the website somewhat soon!

Flowers looking out into the vast forest. — Nature.

Lighthouse from a grassy area. — Lighthouse.

Overall, I am excited to gain some valuable insight into how a multi-level research program operates and how one manages several different projects at once. One of my favorite things I am learning is how important it is to keep perspective in how individual programs contribute to the overall goals of an organization. That being said, I know I have a lot to learn and look forward to that over the next several weeks!

Due to the remote format, I have been in the Triangle area rather than in Zambia. But I am happy to be able to explore some more of the beautiful state of North Carolina.

– Renée